Rutger Boesjes

PhD student Profile

PhD student

Translational research in psychiatry

I am a neurobiologist and PhD student in the Psychedelic Therapy & Mechanisms group. In my research, I try to better understand the role of sleep in psychiatric disorders, and how sleep plays a role in the outcomes of ketamine treatment for treatment-resistant depression. I take a translational approach by combining studies in patients with preclinical studies using animal models of depression. By using animal models, we can conduct a detailed analysis of the effects of ketamine on biomarkers of depression, sleep architecture, neuroplasticity and circadian rhythmicity. My aim is then to translate this knowledge back to the clinic and contribute to the optimalization of ketamine therapy.